Stop By And Have Some Pie
by gabby227
Summary: Derek was done dating. After several bad relationships, he adamantly told his family that he was not interested in dating anymore, and besides that, he hasn't even met anyone that has caught his eye, thank you very much. And then he meets Stiles Stilinski.


**A/N: Okay, so I'm really nervous about this. It's my first ever Sterek story. I've wanted to write one for a really long time, but was really scared because I've never written anything but het before. My husband likes to gives me prompts, and he prompted me with Stiles owning a pie shop because he knows I love baker!Stiles. When he prompts me, he doesn't give me pairings, just ideas.**

 **I have to really thank both Emma & Beth for all the help the two of you have given me! For looking over my story, for talking plot points through with me, and for being my personal cheerleaders when I wanted to give up. I appreciate every bit of help you guys have given me, and without the two of you, this story would not exist. So thank you so much!**

 **Both comments & con/crit are welcome and greatly appreciated, by the way.**

When the phone rang for the sixth time in the last two hours, Derek was ready to throw the damn thing out the window. He was behind on his book project, had six pies to bake for Thanksgiving in five days, and was trying to avoid probing questions from his family.

First it had been his mother. Derek adored his mom – he really did – and had nothing less than the utmost respect for her, especially after his father died in the line of duty when he was small. His little sister, Cora, and her twin brother, Jamie, had been babies – just four months old – when he suffered severe injuries while fighting a house fire. He passed away in the hospital three days later. After his dad died, his mom stepped up and became both mother _and_ father to them all, and while everybody had to do their part to make sure everything ran smoothly, his mom was a major inspiration to Derek.

In recent years, however, his mom had started getting on Derek's case more and more about finding dates. Derek was happy to be right where he was, okay? He was an award winning novelist, selling his first book right after he got out of college and had five more on the New York Times Best Seller's List – with three of them belonging to a best-selling trilogy. Derek felt lucky enough that he got to do what he was most passionate about. He may have been thirty and single now, yes, but at least he was happy.

That didn't seem to be enough for his mom, however. Today alone, he had been talked to about finding somebody to "settle down with" no less than three separate times. First his mom, then Cora, and now, Derek was looking down at his phone, an incoming call from his older sister, Laura. At first, Derek debated whether or not to answer it, but then decided he had better. Laura could be pretty damn persistent when she wanted an answer.

Derek had a different relationship with Laura than he did the rest of his family. While the tragedy of his dad's death had brought his family together, Laura and Derek had always been really close. Laura was three years older than him, but they always seemed to just really click and get along, and whenever Derek had a problem, he knew he could always go to his big sister. Laura understood Derek so much more than anybody else did.

When Derek realized that he was bisexual in his sophomore year of high school, he came out to Laura first. When he had his heart broken for the first time later that year, he went to Laura first. Laura was Derek's rock, someone that Derek knew he could rely on no matter what. Even several years ago, when she had been studying at NYU, she and Derek still talked to each other at least once a week. They were close – she was more than just his sister, she was his best friend.

A few years ago, when Derek had gotten his heart broken for what he decided was the last time, he closed his heart to everyone. He was no longer interested in seeking anyone out. Even though Derek thought he had made himself perfectly clear to his family, they were still continuing to push.

"What do you want, Laura?" Derek growled into the phone. He knew that if he ignored her call, she would probably show up at his apartment in person to see what was wrong with him. "I'm busy."

"Hello to you, too, baby brother," Laura said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "It's nice to hear your voice, too."

"Laura, for Christ's sake, you live four blocks away from me. I saw you on my morning run just today. What do you want?"

Laura sighed before saying, "Cora, Jamie and I are going down to that new pie shop that just opened up downtown. You know…Delgado's Deserts? We thought that our brother would enjoy a slice. Come with us, Der, and I'll buy you a piece."

"No thanks," Derek said. "I'm not interested."

"C'mon, Der, you may only live four blocks away from me, but it seems like you lock yourself up in your apartment all the time. We never get to hang out and chat anymore."

"Thanksgiving's in five days," Derek said, an obvious edge of annoyance in his voice. "We can chat then."

"You're going to be too busy then," Laura whined. "You take over Mom's kitchen Thanksgiving Day, and don't let anybody else help," she sighed. "I would just like to get together with all my siblings and just talk to one another. We haven't done that in a really long time."

"I'm busy, Laura," Derek said.

"Jesus, Derek, you're starting to sound like a broken record. Yes, I know you're busy and yes, I know that you're working on a super-secret project, but I'd really like to spend some time with you. You need to get down to Delgado's Deserts, okay? It just opened up last week and it's the cutest place ever. Besides, it's owned by three brothers and you've just gotta meet them."

"I knew there was an angle," Derek said, sighing. "I told you, just like I told Mom and Cora – I'm done dating. I'm no longer interested."

Laura sighed, "Take one hour away from your busy schedule and meet us down at Delgado's, okay? We'll save a seat for you."

Hanging up, Derek watched his phone for a good minute before deciding that he should probably go, pulling on a pair of jeans and a navy Henley before grabbing the keys to the Camaro.

When the shop had opened up a week prior, his mom had called him immediately, telling him how excited she was that it had opened in the first place. She had spent the entire hour they were on the phone telling him that he just had to try their pie. _Your pie will always be my favorite, Der, you know that, but this pie is just amazing. You've just gotta try it._

So, at the very least, his mom would be happy that Derek was going to meet everyone. It _was_ a pretty cute shop; Derek had to agree with Laura about that. It looked like an old diner that would've been around in the fifties, with its cherry red interior, and the tables scattered across the floor. The counter at the front of the shop had matching cherry red barstools in front of it and there was a jukebox tucked in the corner beside a pool table. The shop wasn't exactly big, but he wouldn't have described it as small, either. It just felt like the perfect gathering place.

Derek spotted Laura, Jamie and Cora at a table in the back corner, rolling his eyes when Laura saw him and waved him over.

"Glad to see you could make it, baby brother," she said as Derek sat down beside her. "It's a cute little shop, isn't it?"

"It's okay, I guess. I just hope their pie is good."

"I got four pieces of the specialty of the day," Laura said. "And you should see the brothers who own the shop, Der. They're cuties."

Derek rolled his eyes again. "Stop trying to set me up, okay? I'm happy with myself just the way I am."

"Don't forget about Rufus," Cora said, referring to the kitten Derek had adopted a few weeks ago. "He seems to be pretty good company for you, Der."

"I only have that kitten because Laura needed a home for him. And yes, he is good company." He narrowed his eyes. "I definitely prefer his company to the company of my nosy siblings, anyway."

"Don't be like that, Der," Laura argued just as a waiter came towards the table. He had floppy dark hair and big puppy dog eyes and was balancing a tray with four pieces of what looked like chocolate pie.

"What's that?" Derek said. The guy just laughed.

"It's pie, dude," he said. When Derek gave him a look that clearly said _duh_ , he continued, "It's cookies and cream, with a chocolate graham cracker crust Specialty of the day."

Setting the pie down, the guy stopped for a second, looking at Derek before saying, "Dude! You're Derek Hale, aren't you?"

"One and the same," Laura said, with a huge smile on her face. It seemed like whenever a fan approached Derek when Laura was out with him, she was more excited to see the fan that Derek was. "And your name is?"

"I'm Scott – Scott McCall. I run this shop with my brothers, Stiles and Isaac. It's good to meet you, Derek," Scott said, sticking out his hand. Derek shook it. "Could I maybe get an autograph?"

Derek shrugged, and before he knew what was happening, the kid was shoving a pen at Derek, along with a napkin. Derek signed it, his signature taking him far too long, as always. He really needed to shorten it. "It was good to meet you, kid."

"Scott," he corrected. Derek nodded.

As Scott walked away, Laura nudged Derek with her elbow. "You need to be a little nicer to your fans. I'm almost surprised that you have as many as you do, considering how sour you always act. And look at your face – you look like you just swallowed a lemon."

"I don't like people," Derek stated. He shot an annoyed look at Cora and Jamie, who looked like they were going to pass out because they were laughing so hard.

"Sorry, Der," Cora apologized, watching her older brother, "but I wish you liked people as much as you like a good mystery novel. It'd be better for those fans who want to meet you."

Derek just rolled his eyes.

After they finished their pie, which was some of the best pie that Derek himself had ever tasted (not that he was ever going to tell Laura that), Laura handed Derek some cash. "Go pay the bill, Der," she said. "I've gotta go – got the early shift tomorrow morning and have errands to run before I can go home. It's the last few days before we close the vet's office for Thanksgiving so I'm going to need the extra sleep. I'll see you later, baby brother."

Derek rolled his eyes again, making a show of grumbling, but went up to the counter anyway. The kid, Scott, was at the cash register, and Derek looked at him.

"Did you make the pie?" Derek asked Scott after paying the bill. Scott shook his head.

"Nah, man. That's all my brother."

"Your brother got a name?"

Just then, another guy came out of the back room. He was…gorgeous, with spiky dark hair, eyes that were an unusual amber color, and a lithe frame. Sex appeal seemed to just _ooze_ from him, and when he ran his fingers through his hair, Derek couldn't help but think how amazing they would feel touching him, opening him up.

He shook the thoughts out of his head. What the fuck was he even thinking? But as the guy came towards him, Derek smiled, trying to be polite.

"Hi," the kid said. Or, at least, Derek thought he was a kid. He sure did look young.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" Derek asked, immediately cursing himself inwardly. Sometimes, when he got nervous, things spilled out of his mouth that he didn't mean to say. However, the kid just laughed.

"Dude, I'm twenty-six," he laughed. "But I guess I _do_ look pretty young."

"Are you the chef?" Derek asked him. The kid grinned.

"Yep, that's me."

"Your pie is really good," Derek said. Scott looked like he was going to faint.

"Dude, Stiles, that's _Derek Hale_ ," Scott said. "You know, the dude who wrote those books you're so in love with."

"Thanks, Scotty," the kid, _Stiles_ , said, almost sarcastically, shooting a smile at Derek. He reached out his hand so Derek could shake it.

"Your pie is pretty amazing," Derek admitted, shaking it, turning around to make sure that none of his siblings were in ear shot. They had already gone, so Derek looked back at Stiles. "Is that natural talent?"

Stiles shrugged, "I've always liked to bake. My mom died when I was just a kid, but cooking and baking together were a couple of things we used to do together. When my dad and Scott's mom got married and moved houses, I found a bunch of my mom's old recipes in the attic. The cookies and cream pie is one of them."

"It's good," Derek said. He looked at Stiles before saying, "Oh, God, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm sorry. I'm Derek Hale."

"Stiles Stilinski," he said, seeming amused. Probably because Scott had already told him who he was. He needed to get it together. What was _wrong_ with him today?

"Your parents named you _Stiles_ Stilinski?" he asked, a brief chuckle escaping his mouth. He wasn't even sure where the fuck that came from.

"It's a nickname," Stiles answered. "My real name is unpronounceable if you aren't fluent in Polish, and it's just…it's bad."

"Can I do anything to get you to tell me what it is?" Derek asked. _Oh my God_ , he realized after he had said it, _he was flirting with him_.

"I don't think so," Stiles said, a playful edge in his voice. Well, he sounded playful, but Derek noticed the blush that colored his cheeks. "We haven't known each other nearly long enough for that."

"How about this?" Derek said, not even believing he was doing this, but grateful that Laura wasn't here to witness it. He took a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Stiles. "You ever want to bake more pie, or even read my newest book before it's out, or hang out, or _whatever_ , give me a call. I'd love to hear from you." And with that, Derek turned around and walked out of the pie shop.

-x-

Derek hadn't expected Stiles to call. In fact, two days later, while staring at his computer screen, trying to will the words to just show up there, he thought about how much of an idiot he was.

Stiles was probably already attached. A guy who looked like _that_? He probably had both men _and_ women lining up to get together with him. What would he want someone like Derek for?

And Derek knew he had the looks. He had been propositioned more times than he could count, but he didn't have the greatest disposition. In fact, Lydia was always telling him that he needed to be nicer to his fans. But nobody ever wanted anything more than sex out of Derek, and it got really old really fast.

When Stiles _did_ call, it surprised the fuck out of him. "This is Stiles. Stilinski," Stiles said in an uncertain voice. "We met at Delgado's Deserts a few days ago?"

"Yeah, I remember," Derek said. "I wasn't expecting you to call, honestly. Is everything okay?"

"Well, we're shutting down tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I know you're probably busy with your family, but mine is all the way back in California, and I was just wondering…are you free? Maybe we could hang out or something. If you've got baking to do for the holiday, I'd be happy to help."

"As a matter of fact, I've got six pies to make," Derek said. He heard Stiles let out what he was pretty sure was a shriek of excitement.

"Let me help you with that," he offered, although it sounded more like a demand.

"Where about in California does your family live?" Derek asked him.

"A small town in northern California. Beacon Hills."

"Seriously?" Derek asked. "I was born there."

"Wow, what a small world!" Stiles laughed. "When'd you move?"

"A long time ago. I was four. My father died in the line of duty when I was just a kid."

"Was he a cop?" It seemed like Derek had piqued Stiles' interested, so he kept talking.

"No, a firefighter. Got caught in a house fire and by the time they got to him, it was too late. He died in the hospital three days later. There were too many traumatic memories in Beacon Hills for my mom, so she packed us up and we moved here to New York."

Stiles made a contemplative sound before saying, "I moved out here to go to college. Isaac, Scott and I got accepted at NYU, but school just wasn't for me. Couple my personality with my ADHD and I just couldn't pay attention. That's when Scott, Isaac and I decided to open up Delgado's."

"But it just opened up last week," Derek said.

"Yeah, but we were in the planning stages for what seemed like forever," Stiles chuckled.

Derek wasn't much of a talker, but his conversation with Stiles seemed to stretch on for hours. While he would usually be annoyed, he found himself enjoying the sound of Stiles' voice. Finally, after Stiles said for the third time that he had to go to do some baking, Derek asked, "Are you guys busy this Thanksgiving?"

"No," Stiles said. "It was Scott's idea to close up to the shop, just because he said nobody's gonna want our pie on Thanksgiving Day, when everyone is surrounded by their family."

"Spend it with my family and me," Derek said, wondering where the fuck _that_ came from. "You don't have to if you don't want to, of course, but we always have a big family thing, and I know I speak for the rest of the Hales when I say the three of you are totally invited. We would be glad to have you."

"I don't know," Stiles said hesitantly. "I mean, we don't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't be intruding," Derek insisted. "My mom has been on my case to branch out and get a few new friends anyway. Honestly, you'd be doing me a huge favor."

"Sure," Stiles said after a few moments had passed. "I don't know about my brothers, but I'm in. How about I come over tomorrow afternoon and help you with those pies you said you have to bake? I can't show up at your mother's house for Thanksgiving empty handed."

"Sure," Derek said. "I'll see you then."

By the time the next afternoon rolled around, Derek was pretty impatient for Stiles to show up. When he finally arrived, around three-thirty, he had three grocery bags full of stuff.

"I couldn't come over empty handed," Stiles explained when Derek opened the door to his apartment. "I felt wrong about using your ingredients, so I got some of my own."

"Of course I don't mind," Derek said, motioning him into the apartment. Stiles swept past him and headed into the kitchen, setting his grocery bags down on the island counter. "What'd you bring, exactly?"

"I thought I'd make a few pies to take over there myself – you know, a banana cream and a key lime, and maybe even another cookies and cream. You seemed to like that one the other day."

"It was really good," Derek said. "I really liked it."

"So I'm going to woo you with food," Stiles said, almost teasingly. If Derek didn't know any better, he was sure that Stiles was flirting with him. "After all you know what they say. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Your food's gonna have to be pretty damn good if you're gonna woo me that way," Derek said sarcastically. Stiles just laughed.

"My food's awesome," he said. "Just wait and see."

They spent the afternoon baking, and it was one of the greatest afternoons that Derek had had in a long time. It was a lot of fun to bake with Stiles, and they teased each other, and joked and laughed like they had been old friends. By the time they were done, they had two apple pies, two pumpkin pies, a cherry, a blueberry, plus Stiles' banana cream, key lime and cookies and cream. After they finished baking, the sun had gone down and it was almost nine o'clock.

"Dude, I'm starving," Stiles said. "You wanna get a bite to eat?"

Derek shrugged, "I could eat. There's a diner not even a block from here, if that's what you're in the mood for. They have amazing pancakes."

"I could go for pancakes," Stiles said.

"You might want to change your shirt first," Derek said. "You've got flour all over it."

"Oh wow, I do," Stiles laughed as he looked down at his shirt. "Do you have one I can borrow? I should've brought a change of clothes – I always make a huge mess whenever I bake, so it would've been common sense, but I didn't even think about it."

Derek went into his bedroom upstairs and pulled out a couple of shirts for himself and Stiles. After he changed his, he went downstairs and threw the other one at Stiles. When Stiles pulled off his shirt to change it, Derek felt his mouth water. While Stiles wasn't overly muscular, he did have a nice body, and Derek wanted to spend time acquainting himself with it.

Intimately.

They went to dinner and as they ate, they talked about anything and everything. One of the things that Derek really appreciated about Stiles was that he knew how to keep the conversation going. He was talkative, but at the same time, he didn't say anything unnecessary. He was light hearted and also pretty funny.

"I'm curious," Derek said. "Why aren't you guys going back home for the holiday?"

Stiles shrugged, "We don't have the money. We sunk pretty much everything we had into the opening for Delgado's, and we couldn't scrape up enough for the plane ticket back. Dad and Melissa offered to buy it for us, but I hate doing that. And Isaac has this thing about paying his own way, so he refused. Besides, Dad and Melissa need every cent they have, and I'm not going to take that away from them."

Derek nodded.

"So is there anything you're gonna have to warn me about your family? I already met your siblings, and let me tell you, Laura is scary as hell," Stiles said, changing the subject.

"Nah," Derek said. "You get used to her. Besides, she's loyal to a fault and has always been there for me whenever I needed her. She's been my rock throughout my life, and we're really close, despite her being three years older."

"She seems a little…overzealous," Stiles said.

"She can be," Derek laughed. "But it's always in a good way. Laura wants what's good for me, you know? Losing my dad really brought my family together, and we're all very close."

"I know how that goes," Stiles said. "Scott may be my step-brother, but we were friends long before that. When we found out that our parents were getting married, it was like an early Christmas present. For eight years after my mom died, my dad and I had to learn how to depend on one another and communicate, and Scott dad is a real dick and Scott has nothing to do with him, so we're like one complete family. We might be a bit dysfunctional at times, but we love each other, and that's all that matters."

"So, if Scott's your step-brother, what about Isaac? Which one of you is he related to?" Derek asked.

"Neither of us, by blood," Stiles answered. "Dad and Melissa adopted him right after they got married, when we were sixteen. His mom died when he was a kid, and his dad was abusive. When my dad found out, he arrested him and offered to take Isaac in. They adopted him not long after.

"So your dad's a cop?" Derek asked.

Stiles looked proud. "He's the sheriff."

"My mom's probably going to try to set us up, I'm not gonna lie," Derek said after a few moments of silence had passed. "She's been trying to find me a date for the past three years, after I swore off dating."

"That bad, huh?" Stiles asked with a chuckle. "My dating history's not that great, either."

Derek rolled his eyes, "There can be some pretty terrible people out there."

Stiles nodded, "Totally." He watched Derek for a good minute before saying, "What about playing pretend?"

"Hmm?" Derek asked.

"Well, your mom wants to set you up with someone, and I know my parents want me to get back out there and start seeing people, so what if the two of us pretend we're dating? Like, this could be our first date and I'm meeting your family for Thanksgiving because I'm in like with you."

"In like?" Derek asked, not even trying to hide the smile in his voice.

"Sure," Stiles said. "Your sisters and brother were there when the two of us first met, so I can't say we've been dating in secret for a while – they'd see right through that ruse. And I can't be in love with someone I've only known for four days. So let's say we really like each other and want to spend time together."

"That'll get both our parents off our backs," Derek said, understanding where Stiles was coming from. "That actually sounds pretty good. You'd cool with it?"

Stiles nodded, "Yeah, definitely."

-x-

When they both got back to the apartment, it was almost eleven, and Stiles looked at Derek. "You cool with me crashing here? I just don't want to drive all the way back to our place. Besides, with my dad being the sheriff and everything back home, he ingrained in me from the time I was old enough to know that you shouldn't drive when you're tired."

"That's all good," Derek said. "Sure, you can crash here. You take my bed, I'll take the couch."

"But the couch looks so tiny!" Stiles said. When Derek looked at him quizzically, Stiles said, "I doubt you'll fit on that comfortably, given your body type."

"It's fine," Derek said. "I've done it before, when Laura or Cora have crashed here."

"Besides that," Stiles said, and Derek half-wondered why Stiles hadn't dropped the subject already, "it can't be that comfortable to sleep on. I mean, it looks lumpy. So how about we just share the bed? I promise I won't try anything while you're trying to sleep."

Derek thought it through for a moment. He didn't want to look too eager, even though he _really_ wanted to sleep with Stiles (and maybe even cuddle him, but he wasn't going to go that far), so he finally said, "Okay, I can live with that."

"Cool," Stiles said. "I'm gonna call Scotty real quick to make sure he knows I wasn't abducted or lying in a ditch somewhere. You got some pajamas I can borrow?"

"Sure," Derek said, digging through his dresser. He pulled out a pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt for Stiles to wear as he heard him on the phone.

"Just talk to Isaac about having dinner with the Hales on Thanksgiving." There was a brief pause, and then Stiles said, "Just talk to him, okay? We can't make it back to Beacon Hills in time for Thanksgiving, and this'll be so much better. We won't be eating cold takeout in front of the TV. Besides, I really like Derek and would like to have good food with his family. Whether or not you and Isaac are in, I'm going."

Derek leaned up against the wall as he heard Stiles on the phone. Finally, after a few moments, Stiles said, "Look, Scotty, I've gotta go. Just talk to Isaac, okay? I know he doesn't like to be around strangers, but you and I will both be there, and so will Laura. He likes Laura – I know he knows her from the vet clinic."

When Stiles came into the room, Derek threw an old pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt at him. Stiles looked at Derek, saying, "Thanks, man. Where's the bathroom so I can change?"

Derek pointed towards the bathroom, which was right across the hall upstairs, and Stiles nodded as he went into it. Derek sighed; he was already starting to fall for Stiles. And it wasn't that Stiles was gorgeous – even though Derek thought he was. No, Derek was starting to fall for Stiles because he was happy and optimistic, and the two of them clicked on a personal level, like nobody Derek had ever met before. Derek felt safe and at home with Stiles, and found himself wanting to hold him and talk all night long.

While Stiles was changing in the bathroom, Derek figured he might as well change, too. He threw on a pair of old sweatpants, deciding to forgo the shirt, and sat down on his bed.

"This is a nice place," Stiles said when he came out of the bathroom. "I mean, it's small but nice."

"Do you live with your brothers?" Derek asked Stiles when he plopped down on Derek's bed.

"Yeah," Stiles answered. "Scott, Isaac and I are pretty close. Even though Isaac's only been our brother since we were sixteen, we've known him practically our entire lives. When we moved out here, Isaac suggested we move in together, since we were so close to one another and get along so well."

After they both got situated, lying side by side in bed, Derek watched Stiles closely before saying, "How'd you get into baking?"

Stiles shrugged, "After my mom died, I felt like I needed something I shared with her – something I could do to make me feel closer to her. We spent a lot of time together, just cooking and baking before she got sick, so when I found her recipes in the attic, I knew that's what I wanted to do. It made me feel closer to her." Stiles watched Derek for a good moment before saying, "We spent a lot of time preparing traditional Polish dishes. Both my parents were Polish, and Mom always tried to make those dishes she loved so much. I haven't made any of them in so very long."

"Maybe sometime you can cook for me," Derek said. "I've never had authentic Polish cuisine before."

Stiles nodded, "Sure. Consider it a date."

-x-

Stiles was nervous. Even though he was only going over there as a pretend date, he really wanted Derek to like him. And sure, Derek had flirted with him a couple of times, but maybe that was just his natural personality. Derek was fucking hot, and Stiles figured he wouldn't be interested.

"I don't understand why you're so nervous," Scott said that morning as Stiles was going through his closet, trying to find something decent to wear. "It's just dinner."

"Dude is hot like burning, Scott," Stiles said, throwing a pair of jeans on the bed where Scott was sitting. "I mean, I doubt he's going to be into a skinny geek like me, but I can dream, alright? Besides, I just really want to make a good impression on his family."

"Why don't you wear the green button down that Lydia got you for Christmas a few years ago?" Isaac asked, coming into the room. Out of the three of them, Isaac had the most fashion sense. "It'd make her happy to see you wear it, and you look pretty good in it, too."

"Isaac, you're a genius," Stiles said. Isaac grinned.

Even though Isaac had been with the Stilinskis since he was sixteen, he still beamed whenever someone paid him a compliment. Stiles figured that was never going to go away, because of how shitty the circumstances were during Isaac's childhood.

After he got dressed, he looked at Isaac. "How do I look?" he asked.

"You look great."

"You said Lydia'd e happy to see me wear this shirt," Stiles said after a moment, Isaac's earlier words sinking in. "What'd you mean by that?"

"Oh, Jackson and Lydia are going to be at Thanksgiving with the Hales," Isaac said. "She's Derek's editor."

"Seriously?" Stiles groaned. "I mean, Lydia and I are friends and everything, but knowing my luck, Jackson's gonna bring up any embarrassing thing he can think of about me. I mean, we've known the dude since preschool."

Isaac shrugged, but then patted Stiles on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." It was a sarcastic comment, and Stiles stuck his tongue out at Isaac. Scott just laughed.

"Why aren't you guys freaking out?" Stiles asked a few moments later, looking from Scott to Isaac. "I mean, you don't know the Hales either, and Scotty, Derek's your favorite author."

Scott nodded, "I know. But I'm not in love with the dude."

"I'm not in love with him," Stiles protested.

"Uh, yeah you are," Isaac piped up. "You've been in love with his writing forever, and now that you know him, you've been acting like a lovesick puppy."

Stiles ran his fingers through his hair, "Really? I've been acting that way?"

"Maybe not in front of him," Scott said, "but it's all you've been able to talk about to us."

Stiles shrugged, "I've been in love with his books forever – he just has this way about writing characters, they're so relatable. And then I spent the night with him a few days ago, and we just baked and had dinner and he's terrific. He's hot, yeah, but he's funny and smart, and he acts grumpy and broody, but when you really get to know him, he's a really great guy."

"Like I said," Isaac said. "Huge crush."

Stiles stuck out his tongue at Isaac again. He sighed, running his hands through his hair and then said, "Whatever. I'm just gonna play it cool."

Isaac laughed, "With you, Stiles, I don't even know if that's possible."

-x-

Derek arrived at his mom's house at seven that morning to get the turkey in the oven. He was a morning person, so getting up early didn't really bother him, but he was nervous.

When he told his mom that he was bringing Stiles to dinner, she was ecstatic. He had asked her not to tell Laura, because he knew how Laura would react, but he knew that she'd tell her anyway. That was one of the dangers of coming from a family that was as close as the Hales were – they didn't hide secrets from one another.

Derek was busy in the kitchen when Cora showed up at ten. "Hey loser," she said, coming into the kitchen to see him.

Derek rolled his eyes and continued cutting up potatoes so he could boil them.

"Mom told me that you're bringing a guest to dinner. Who is it?" Cora asked, pulling up a chair. "Anyone I know?"

"Mom told you who it was already, didn't she?" Derek asked, pretty sure he knew the answer already. "And don't lie to me, Cora."

Cora sighed, "Fine. Yes, she told us. But I wanted you to admit it."

"I asked Stiles and his brothers to join us," Stiles and I went out on a date and I really like him. And they couldn't go back home for Thanksgiving, and I didn't want them to be lonely. The whole holiday is about spending it with people and good food. And he made pie."

"Ooh, pie," Cora said. "What kind?"

"Banana cream, key lime, and cookies and cream," Derek said. Cora's face brightened up.

"Did you make a cherry?" she asked Derek. He shot her a look.

"I always make you a cherry pie, Cora," Derek said. "So yes, of course I did. I wouldn't forget about my baby sister.

"Ugh," Cora groaned. "Don't call me that. It's like talking to Laura."

Derek just laughed.

Dinner wasn't until one, but Stiles, Isaac and Scott showed up at eleven. When Cora yelled to Derek that his boyfriend and his brothers were there, Derek went out into the entry way. He smiled at Stiles.

"It's good to see you," Derek said to him. Stiles smiled in return, and it seemed genuine to Derek. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Derek introduced them to his mother, who was standing at the foot of the stairs. She held out her hand for Stiles to shake, which he did, and so did Scott and Isaac. "Thank you for having us," Scott said to her. "We couldn't make it back to Beacon Hills for the holiday."

"You're from Beacon Hills?" Talia asked. Scott nodded.

"We grew up there."

"Wait – Stiles _Stilinski_?" she asked, like something was just clicking for her. "Any relation to John?"

"Yeah," Stiles said. "He's my dad."

"I knew him. It's been a long time, though."

After a moment of silence had passed, Stiles looked at Talia. "Do you need any help in the kitchen?"

"I don't cook for the holidays," she explained. "Derek takes over the kitchen."

"Fine," Stiles said. He looked at Derek, "Do _you_ need any help in the kitchen?"

Derek shrugged, "I could always use some."

They walked through the dining room to get to the kitchen, but as soon as they reached the doorway, Talia said, "Stop!"

Both Derek and Stiles stopped in their tracks.

"Look up," she instructed. Slowly, their gaze went to the ceiling. Derek groaned.

"Really, Mom? Mistletoe? It's only Thanksgiving."

"You know it's a tradition, Der," Talia said. "Now kiss. You know how this works."

Derek sighed , and Stiles leaned in to whisper in his ear, "It's fine. Just relax."

When their lips met, Derek sighed contentedly. Stiles tasted like cinnamon and the kiss was anything but chaste. When Stiles slid his tongue across Derek's lower lip, silently asking for access, Derek granted it to him. Their tongues practically danced together.

It was the single greatest kiss that Derek had ever received.

When Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's neck, Derek was brought back to reality when someone cleared their throat. He broke the kiss, giving Stiles one more peck on his lips before pulling away.

"Thanks for the show," Cora said sarcastically. "I could've gone my whole life not seeing my brother suck face with his boyfriend."

Derek made a face at her. "Blame this one on Mom, Cor. It's all her fault."

Talia just grinned.

When Stiles followed Derek into the kitchen, Derek looked at him apologetically. "Sorry about that," he said, pulling a few key ingredients out of the cupboard. "I got a little carried away."

"Dude, it's fine," Stiles said. "It was a nice kiss."

"Yeah, it was," Derek agreed. And because he knew that his family was more than likely listening in, he added, "I'm just sorry that our first kiss was in front of my family and because my mom is sneaky and stuck mistletoe on the ceiling."

Stiles chuckled. "It's fine, really."

At noon, Laura showed up. Derek could hear her voice through the house as she greeted Scott and Isaac. "Oh, baby brother!" she called, and Derek groaned.

"Not a fan of your sister today, huh?" Stiles asked. Derek sighed.

"It's not that," Derek said. "She's going to take credit for us being together. That's just the way Laura is."

Stiles shrugged, blushing. "That's okay by me."

With the food cooking, Derek went out into the living room and saw his sister, her husband, and their ten-year-old daughter, Lacey. Lacey leapt towards Derek and hugged him tightly. "Uncle Derek!" she exclaimed.

"Nice to see you, too, bug," Derek said. When they broke apart, Lacey looked at him.

"Are you ever going to stop calling me that?" She asked him. Derek shook his head.

"Absolutely not. You'll always be my Lacey bug."

She just groaned.

When Stiles joined them in the living room, a huge grin covered Laura's face.

"Jordan, Lacey," Derek said, looking at Laura's husband and daughter in turn, "This is Stiles, my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, huh?" Laura asked, the huge grin still on her face. "When did that happen?"

"A couple of days ago," Stiles said. "Derek invited me over and we did some baking and got to know one another, and so we arranged to go out on a date. I really like your brother."

"Really," Laura said. "And now I bet you're grateful I talked you into coming into Delgado's last week, huh, Der?"

Derek rolled his eyes and exchanged glances with Stiles, "I told you she was going to take credit for this."

When Lydia and Jackson showed up, it was quarter to one. Derek looked at the redhead. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mom invited us," Lydia said. "I thought we were friends, Derek."

"We are…I guess," Derek said. "I'm just surprised. I hope I made enough food," he joked. Lydia patted her growing belly and said, "Did you make a cherry pie? The baby really wants some cherry pie."

"You'll have to fight Cora for it," Derek laughed. "She claims every cherry pie we have for the holidays. If you would have told me you wanted one, I would have made an extra one."

"I made a banana cream, a cookies and cream, and a key lime," Stiles piped up. Lydia looked thoughtful.

"Stilinski?" Jackson asked, like he couldn't believe it. "What are you doing here?"

"Wait – do you guys know each other?" Derek asked, surprised. He wasn't aware that Stiles knew Jackson and Lydia.

"We're all from Beacon Hills," Lydia answered. "We grew up together."

"Scott and Isaac are here as well," Laura said, speaking to Jackson, "and I swear to God, Jackson, if you make even one rude comment to them, we will kick you out so fast."

"Stiles and I are dating now," Derek said, putting an arm around Stiles' waist, "and I agree with Laura,. You need to be nice to them."

"Dude, I don't think the word 'nice' is in Jackson's vocabulary," Stiles laughed. He may have been laughing, but Derek could tell that Stiles was nervous. He leaned over and gave Stiles a kiss on the cheek, trying to calm him down. He thought maybe if they played up the ruse, it may ease Stiles' nerves a little bit.

When they sat down to dinner, the table was eerily quiet for a few moments. Stiles was the first to speak.

"Mrs. Hale, thanks for inviting us," he said, picking at his turkey. "We didn't have the money to go back home for Thanksgiving, and it's really nice to have a home cooked meal."

"Please, dear, call me Talia," she replied, "and it's really no problem. We love having guests over, and Derek always makes enough food to feed an army."

"What's the good of Thanksgiving dinner if you don't have leftovers?" Derek asked. "I don't see the point."

"True," Stiles laughed. "Very true."

The conversation was good, and Derek found himself looking at Stiles. God, the guy was gorgeous, especially when he laughed. When Stiles laughed, he laughed with his whole body, and he talked with his hands. And his fingers – God, don't even get Derek started on his fingers. Stiles had _really_ nice fingers – long and thin, and Derek could envision Stiles taking him apart and putting him back together again with just his hands. Derek couldn't help but wonder what they would feel like on him, in him, and he longed to feel Stiles touch him.

The thought made him blush, but it was the truth. He wanted nothing more than to ravish Stiles right here, right now, but he knew it wasn't happening. If he ever did have sex with Stiles, he was going to make it very clearly known that there would be a relationship involved, and it would I no circumstances be a one night stand or fuck buddy relationship. Derek wasn't sure he could live with that.

It wasn't just the sex that Derek wanted, though. He wanted everything with Stiles; kissing, hand holding, cuddling on winter's nights in front of the fireplace, even talking to him about things that they were the most passionate about. Derek could see himself debating why the prequel trilogy of Star Wars was just as good as the original, and how they both had their own merits, and he could see himself just being very genuinely _happy_ with Stiles. He wanted that. He wanted it more than he'd wanted anything else in a very long time.

After dinner, after everyone went into the living room to let their food settle, Derek started clearing the table. When Stiles noticed that Derek was clearing dishes, he offered to help. When they were alone in the kitchen, Stiles looked at Derek. "Are you okay, man? You seemed kinda spaced out at dinner."

Derek shrugged, not wanting to give too much away. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," Stiles said. "You had me worried for a minute."

"I'm fine, Stiles," Derek repeated.

Stiles just nodded.

-x-

Derek wasn't exactly sure _what_ had gotten into him when he asked Stiles if he wanted to come over after people started leaving his mom's house that night. He just knew that he wanted to spend more time with Stiles, and would take anything he could get.

They weren't exactly sure how they got from point A to point B, but as soon as Derek closed the door of the apartment, Stiles was on him.

Which, wait. _What_?

Pushing him up against the closed door, Stiles attacked Derek's mouth with his own, causing Derek to moan, because _damn_. He felt a kind of smugness when Stiles groaned in return, deepening the kiss. Mostly because Stiles tasted so damn good and Derek was having a hard time not begging.

"Tell me if you don't want this," Stiles said. "If you don't want to be with me like this, please, you've gotta let me know."

"I want it," Derek moaned. "God, Stiles, I want you so badly."

They kissed a little longer, getting lost in each other's mouths, causing Derek to moan again (he'd fine time to be embarrassed about that later). Somehow, Stiles felt and tasted way better than he could've ever imagined. But he wasn't going to this right here; he wasn't going to fuck him against the door. He had _some_ coherence left, thank you very much. So he broke the kiss and took Stiles' hand, leading him up to the stairs to his bedroom.

Pushing Stiles down on the bed, Derek leaned down to kiss him again, straddling his waist. They kissed for a while, their tongues just dancing with one another like they had in the kitchen, but Derek was too impatient to continue like that for long – as kissable as Stiles was – leaning up to tear his shirt off.

Stiles watched him through lidded eyes. "God, your body is fucking insane," he said, watching as Derek stood up, pulling Stiles with him.

"I want to see you, too," Derek whispered, almost shyly. It had taken Derek aback at first – he had never been shy when it came to sex. But now, here with Stiles, it almost felt like his first time. "You're beautiful."

"You can't know that," Stiles rolled his eyes, and right away, Derek realized that Stiles had no idea just how beautiful he really was. "I'm just a skinny geek, just moles and sarcasm."

"Wow," Derek said, pulling Stiles' shirt up and over his head. "You have no idea how beautiful you really are, Stiles, but you're gorgeous." As he pushed Stiles back down, he straddled his hips once more and kissed down his body, starting with his lips, and then sucked a bruise into where his neck met his shoulder.

Stiles' body was mesmerizing and Derek paused to spend time swirling his tongue around one nipple and then the other, sucking and biting at them. He had never found someone else so fascinating before, smirking when Stiles arched up into the touch before continuing to work his way down. He swirled his tongue around Stiles' belly button, dipping his tongue in it and Stiles laughed, trying to squirm away.

"Tickles," he explained when Derek looked at him quizzically.

"Really," Derek teased, dipping his head back down, but Stiles gave him a look that said _don't you fucking dare_.

Laughing, Derek stood up again, trying not to feel smug when Stiles whined, unbuckling Stiles' belt and unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. "Lift your hips for me," he said, and Stiles obliged.

When he finally got Stiles' jeans and boxers off, Derek licked his lips.

He wasn't sure he could ever classify a dick as beautiful, but Stiles' was really nice. He was large, cut, and he wanted nothing more than to be fucked with it.

Stiles made a noise like was uncomfortable, and Derek realized he'd been staring. Licking his lips again, he looked up at Stiles. "I want to blow you. Please say I can."

"God, yes," Stiles breathed. "You have no idea how badly I want that."

Licking a stripe up the underside of Stiles' cock, Derek wasted no time in doing just that. He bobbed his head as he hollowed out his cheeks, promising himself next time he would go slower. That next time he would drive Stiles _wild_ , teasing his head.

Stiles groaned, grabbing Derek's hair, his hips thrusting up erratically, like he couldn't help it. When he realized what he was doing, he looked at Derek apologetically. "Sorry."

Derek noticed how Stiles was gripping the sheet instead of Derek's hair now, and that just wasn't going to do. Derek grinned, and without taking his mouth off Stiles' cock, grabbed Stiles' hand to put it in his hair again. He pulled at it, telling Stiles to yank at it, and Stiles made a surprised noise.

"Really?" he asked, pausing to stare. "You want that?"

Derek nodded, moaning when Stiles began fucking his mouth again, putting everything he had into the blowjob. Suckling the head, he put pressure on the underside of Stiles' dick and Stiles gasped. " _Shit_ , gonna come. You need to stop."

Derek really wanted to taste him, but he wanted Stiles to come inside of him – _needed_ it – so he pulled off, much to his displeasure. "You taste so fucking good," he whispered, knowing he must look even more wrecked than Stiles. "I could blow you all day."

Leaning up, to place another kiss on Stiles' lips, Stiles took the opportunity to deepen it. Derek moaned, just letting himself revel in the way his lips felt against his. Stiles chased the flavor of himself on Derek's tongue, seemed to get off on it, groaning when he found it.

"I want you inside me," Derek panted. "I really want you to fuck me. Will you do that?"

Stiles paused, clearly a little stunned, although his eyes were wide, wanting. "Really? I wasn't expecting that."

"Will you?" Derek asked, undoing his own jeans then, dropping them on the floor along with his boxers, a puddle of clothes at his feet. "Please?"

Stiles looked like he was about to pass out, but nodded.

Reaching over in his nightstand drawer, Derek grinned and pulled out a bottle of lube and a condom. Throwing the condom on the bed, Stiles watched himself as he slicked up his fingers, reaching back to open himself up.

Once he was pretty sure he was ready, he nodded and Stiles opened the foil packet, rolling the condom down his cock. Derek groaned, unable to help whimpering slightly as Stiles slicked himself up and spread his legs a little, teasing.

Derek slid down on Stiles' length slowly; it had been far too long since he rode someone, so he reveled in the way Stiles felt inside of him. Derek loved the way he felt so damn _full_ , it was a feeling he loved more than anything else. He gave himself a minute to adjust before starting to glide up and down Stiles' cock, moaning as he started to truly fuck himself on it.

"God, Derek, you feel so fucking good," Stiles groaned. Derek tilted his head back, nodding because _yes_ , and let out a loud groan. Like he was outside the bedroom, during sex Stiles was a talker. Derek wasn't one for talking during sex, but damn he liked it when Stiles did. "So hot and tight, _fuck_. I'm not gonna last."

"So good," Derek whispered, surprised to find himself talking back. Something about being with Stiles obviously brought that out in him. He couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. "Shit, it's like your cock was made for me. You feel fucking amazing." _Seriously_ , where was this _coming_ from?

"I'm close," Stiles said after a few moments, grabbing Derek's dick and starting to stroke it slowly as Derek really sped up, pulling all the way off just to sink back down again, making them both cry out.

"Gonna come," Derek said.

Stiles groaned. "Yeah, Der, come for me. I need to see it, I need to feel it. Fucking _come_."

When Derek tipped over the edge just a brief moment later, Stiles wasn't that far behind him, shaking as he spilled into the condom and Derek striped his chest with white.

When Derek got up off of Stiles a brief moment later – or tried to, at least – he lay down on the other side of the bed.

He watched Stiles closely for a moment, just drinking him in. "That was some of the best sex I've ever had."

"Ditto," Stiles said, trying to get his breath back. "I don't even think I can move You fucked it out of me. My legs are jelly."

"Come on," Derek said, yawning, pawing at Stiles. "I need a fucking nap."

Nodding, Stiles pulled off the condom, disposing of it in the trash bin that Derek kept by his bed before rolling over so he was spooning Derek. "That sounds like a fucking plan."

-x-

"What did you do to your boyfriend?" Laura asked when Derek picked up the phone. There was no _hello_ , no _how are you, baby brother_ like she normally did whenever she called. Instead, she got straight to the point.

It had been two weeks since Thanksgiving – two long weeks since the fake boyfriend thing, since the sex. It had been two long weeks since Derek woke up that afternoon and Stiles was gone.

Gone without a word. No phone call. Nothing.

At first it had upset him – _really_ upset him – because he _liked_ stiles, liked spending time with him and wanted to do it more. It was just the sex he liked (although he really did enjoy that part). He liked Stiles for what he saw, but obviously, Stiles wasn't as interested as Derek thought. But he hadn't heard one single word from Stiles, and instead of being heartbroken over it, he threw himself into his work.

For the last two weeks, Derek had over a third of his latest book written. He had sent a bunch of chapters to Lydia already and she had praised him for it. But his mind always wandered to Stiles and how he was doing. But Derek wasn't brave enough to go by Delgado's to see him. He wasn't ready to get his heart broken any more than it already was.

And _damn it_ , Derek had thought that Stiles was different. He hadn't expected sex and then just nothing from Stiles – the vibe that he got from Stiles, his whole demeanor, Derek thought that Stiles wouldn't do something like this to him. But it turned out that Derek had been wrong – once again.

"I don't know what you mean, Laura," Derek said. "I haven't talked to Stiles."

"Exactly!" Laura exclaimed. "I was just down at Delgado's, and Scott told me that Stiles is baking everything and anything he can get his hands on! He also told me that Stiles only does that when he's upset."

"Stiles is a baker, Laur," Derek said. "Baking is what he does."

"Derek, grow a pair and go down to see your boyfriend," Laura demanded. "You need to fix this, whatever happened between the two of you. After all, I think the two of you could be really good together if you don't let some little thing get between the two of you."

"You don't understand, Laura," Derek said, burying his face in his hands. He was starting to lose control of his emotions; he could just feel it.

"I know I'm just your big sister, Der," Laura said, her voice softening. "And I get that you don't tell me every single aspect of your life. I understand, okay? But I think you and Stiles could be so good together. I saw the way that you two interacted at Thanksgiving, and I saw the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you. You guys look at each other like you hung the moon, Der." Laura paused for a moment and then said, "Derek, I love you and I just want to see you happy, okay?"

"Laura…" Derek's voice trailed off. "He doesn't want to talk to me. I'm not gonna force it."

"I know, Derek," Laura said. "I know that you and Stiles weren't really dating. I'm not stupid, okay? Mom didn't realize it, because she doesn't want to think you would deceive us like that, but I really think the two of you could go well together.

"Does Cora or Jamie know?" Derek asked, suddenly a little worried about what Laura's answer would be.

"No," Laura said. "I think I'm the only one who noticed, and it's mostly because I'm the only one who knows you that well. You and I aren't just siblings, Derek. We're best friends. And I hate to see you suffer."

"Laura," Derek said, feeling his heart break, knowing that he was going to bare his soul to his sister. "Stiles doesn't want to see me. If he did, he would've called me by now. I don't want to force anything. I just want him to be comfortable."

"Derek," Laura said softly. "You need to go talk to him, okay? Find out what went wrong."

"We slept together, Laura," Derek said, taking a deep breath because he felt like he was going to cry. "We had sex and then we took a nap all cuddled up. And then, when I woke up later that night, Stiles was gone. No note, no nothing. He just disappeared, and I haven't seen him or heard from him since. He obviously doesn't want anything from me. If he did, he'd still be here."

"Derek," Laura said softly. "Go to Delgado's, okay? Stiles is just as upset as you are."

"He has no right to be upset, Laur," Derek said. "He's the one who fucking left."

"Couldn't you just do this? For me, Der?"

Derek shook his head even though he knew his sister couldn't see him, "I'm sorry, Laura. But I just can't bring myself to do it. I just can't hurt myself that much."

-x-

When Laura walked into Delgado's after her shift at the animal clinic, she was livid. She knew it was written all over her face, too, because when Scott spotted her, he cringed.

"Hi, Laura," Scott said tentatively. "How are you today?"

"Cut the bullshit, Scott," Laura said. "Where's your brother?"

"Which one?"

"You know goddamn well which one," Laura said. "Where's Stiles?"

Scott pointed towards the kitchen door. "Baking."

"I'll see myself in," Laura said.

When she went into the kitchen, Stiles was pulling a pie out of the oven. He heard her come in, though, and after putting the pie on the stovetop, he turned around. Laura went right up to him and slapped him across the face.

"Hello to you too, Laura," Stiles said sarcastically as he rubbed his cheek. "Did I do something to deserve that?"

"You absolutely fucking did, Stilinski," Laura said. "What do you have to say for yourself? You slept with my brother and then nothing? You couldn't even stick around to tell him goodbye properly?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't pretend Stiles, it doesn't suit you. I'm serious. I can count on one hand the number of people Derek's ever slept with, and he doesn't do casual sex. He's had one casual sex encounter in his life and it made him feel so shitty afterwards that he refuses to do so now. So, what? Did you get what you wanted out of him, and now he's not good enough? Is he not good enough for a relationship? Just tell me, okay?"

" _I'm_ not good enough," Stiles said. "A guy who looks and acts like your brother? He deserves someone just as wonderful as he is, and I'm not that guy okay? Besides, he was going to reject me."

"He slept with you, Stiles!" Laura exclaimed. "If he actually slept with you, how could that make you think he was just going to get rid of you?"

"I've had guys say thanks but no thanks to me before, Laura," Stiles said. "It wasn't happening again."

"So, what? You wrote his rejection speech for him, before he had a chance to? Is that how this worked?"

Stiles just watched the floor.

"Please, Stiles, I'm trying to help you," Laura said, a little softer this time. "It's just that Derek is my brother, and I hate seeing him like he is right now. I'm trying to understand – was it you hurting him before he had the chance to hurt you?"

Stiles continued to watch the floor.

"Look, Stiles, you made Derek feel like shit. He's hurting in a way that I haven't seen him hurt in a long fucking time, and I hate seeing him that way. Fix this, Stiles. I'm serious. The two of you need each other."

Without even waiting for a response, Laura left the pie shop.

Once she was gone, Stiles sighed. He knew that he fucked up; he never should've left Derek's apartment the way he did, but he was pretty sure that Derek wouldn't want a relationship with him. Stiles was just a skinny geek with ADHD and a love for baking. Yeah, he liked Derek a lot and wanted to spend time with him, wanted to get to know him, but he was just sure that Derek wouldn't want that.

But what if he _had_ hurt Derek? He hadn't meant to. He just didn't want to stick around for Derek to tell him that while it was fun, he wasn't interested in anything else. That would've hurt a lot more than anything else.

Stiles adored Derek's family. When Stiles had decided to go over to the Hales' for Thanksgiving, he was seriously nervous about meeting these people, partly because he had been such a huge fan of Derek's writing for a really long time. But then he got to know Derek, and his family, and he adored them all. And then he'd gone and fucked everything up.

Making the decision, Stiles turned the oven off and grabbed his jacket that was on the hook by the back door. He went out to where Isaac was behind the register and Scott was taking pie to a table. Stiles looked at Isaac. "I've gotta go," he told him. "I've got something I've gotta do."

"Everything okay?" Isaac asked him. "I mean, are _you_ okay?"

"I'm gonna be fine," Stiles answered. "I just really need to do this."

Isaac gave him a knowing look. "Alright. If you're not back by closing, we'll lock up for you."

Stiles grinned. "Thanks, dude. I appreciate it."

The drive over to Derek's apartment seemed to take forever, even though in reality it only took about ten minutes. When he knocked on the door, only a minute went by before Derek opened it. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of black sweatpants that were slung low on his hips and was barefoot, and Stiles thought that Derek had never looked more beautiful. His hair was damp like he'd just gotten out of the shower and Stiles couldn't help the slight groan that left his lips.

"What do you want?" Derek asked him, not waiting for Stiles to speak. "I'm not up for another round of sex."

 _Ouch_ , Stiles thought, even if he did deserve the cold attitude that Derek was sending his way. He licked his lips nervously before saying, "I came over to talk."

" _Now_ you wanna talk?" Derek asked. He sighed as Stiles nodded his head, and then said, "Fine. Come in."

Once Stiles was inside, he looked at Derek nervously. "There's a lot I need to apologize for," he said. "Maybe we should sit?"

Derek nodded and led Stiles over to the couch. Stiles sat down and Derek stood in front of the big bay window that was in the apartment, his arms crossed in front of his chest protectively. It was as if Derek was way too vulnerable and he was afraid of being hurt again.

"I'm sorry I left the way I did," Stiles said. "I'm sorry that I didn't call you or even come over here to see you afterwards. I know I probably hurt you a lot, but…I just didn't want you to reject me. In case you haven't noticed, Derek, I'm not exactly anyone's first pick when it comes to guys."

Derek shook his head. "You may not believe me, Stiles, but you are gorgeous. The first time I saw you, I noticed it. And the other guys who've dismissed you, they just didn't know beauty – because, believe me, Stiles, you are so goddamned beautiful that I can't stand it."

"I was afraid," Stiles said. "I really like you, Derek, and I have ever since I met you. I mean, you're one of my favorite authors, yeah, but at the same time, there's so much more to you that I never knew existed. And it was pointed out to me a couple of times that I'm kinda head over heels for you."

Derek's features softened. "Really?" he asked. "You feel that way about me? It wasn't just the sex?"

"Absolutely not," Stiles said, getting up and crossing the room to stand in front of Derek. "I really like you, Derek. And I'd love to give you the world, if you'd just let me."

Derek smiled, "Yeah, Stiles. I think that can be arranged."

-x-

Now, whenever the relationship between the famed author Derek Hale and baker Stiles Stilinski comes up, Laura definitely takes the credit for getting them together. And, after a few times of disputing it, Derek finally decided to agree. After all, this never would've happened if he hadn't had such a protective big sister. And he loved her so very much for that.


End file.
